Praise!

Praise!

I WILL praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will show forth (recount and tell aloud) all Your marvelous works and wonderful deeds! I will rejoice in You and be in high spirits; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High! Psalm 9:1‭-‬2 AMPC

This is a psalm attributed to David, the man God called one after His own heart. When you read all of David's songs in Psalms, even when he was sorry for his sins  of adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of Uriah, you get the distinct impression that David knew God's heart. David knew the things that got God's attention and he gave them in abundant measure. Please note that if David had attempted to offer praise to God as a bribe to get off the consequences of his actions, we know he failed spectacularly. He was forgiven, but his generation after him suffered the consequences of his actions. Whatever it is that I think I want to offer to God, I must make sure it comes from a heart that is free of hypocrisy and eye-service.

And no wonder, all, not part of David's heart was committed to praising God. That is the lesson with God: you can't deceive your creator. It is on record in 2 Chronicles 25 that Amaziah the king of Judah served God all the days of his life, but NOT with a perfect heart. You can't give God part and expect him to keep the whole. You can't deal God a defective part and expect him to preserve the whole. He keeps that which is entrusted into His hands. And David tells us clearly how he intends to celebrate this God who has done marvellous works and wonderful deeds. He will sing aloud, rejoice, be in high spirits and sing praises.

And that is yet another lesson: when God does anything for you, it is hard to keep quiet. In fact, it will be the height of ingratitude to keep quiet about God's mighty workings in my life. How do people know who God is and what He has done, if I am not a visible and audible witness to His mighty works? How does the world sit up and take notice that I have been with Jesus, if there is nothing in my life to show Him off? Praise isn't a quiet or reserved thing; it is something that will be seen or heard from my life, if it is to be believed.

And it means that indeed, I know that God has been good. As I take stock of this odd year, what are the things I am most grateful for? Would that be my networth in monetary terms, my circle of influence, or the simple fact that I have been preserved through a pandemic? We used to fret over new year resolutions and how determined we were going to be in a new year, but I am sure that at the moment, we are just grateful for God's mercy and preservation. So, I WILL praise God, not MAY. It is not a matter of choice or compulsion, but a free exercise of a heart that appreciates what it has received. I praise you o Lord for all your mighty deeds. What's your own decision? His time of favour is here.